Stone from road has damaged radiator.

[Deleted User]

I have a feeling I already know the answer but though I'd ask anyway, my parents were driving on a motorway after coming over to see me, on the way home my mother says a stone was flicked up into the car from the road by a wagon in front. Unfortunately within about 5 mins my dads warning lights came on, anyway he's taken his Lexus back to the dealership and he's just being quoted over £500 for a new radiator, a pebble has punctured a hole in the radiator.

Does he have any come back? He has a warranty with Lexus which I read but the only thing I could find was excluded parts there was a line about protected parts mechanical and electrical excluded from it due to external impact, do you think its something he could get repaired under the warranty or insurance or even against the local council?

MattMattMattUK

Deleted_User said:

I have a feeling I already know the answer but though I'd ask anyway, my parents were driving on a motorway after coming over to see me, on the way home my mother says a stone was flicked up into the car from the road by a wagon in front. Unfortunately within about 5 mins my dads warning lights came on, anyway he's taken his Lexus back to the dealership and he's just being quoted over £500 for a new radiator, a pebble has punctured a hole in the radiator.

Does he have any come back? He has a warranty with Lexus which I read but the only thing I could find was excluded parts there was a line about protected parts mechanical and electrical excluded from it due to external impact, do you think its something he could get repaired under the warranty or insurance or even against the local council?

Unfortunately no comeback from any route that I am aware of. However I would be somewhat curious about how a stone managed to impact the radiator with enough speed to cause any damage as the radiator is well protected by the grill of the car. 

I am guessing that as he is still within warranty the car is fairly new so it is probably not worth trying to shop around and risking invalidating the warranty. Depending on the model the part might not be that expensive, but they are usually not the easiest part to change yourself in modern cars. 

DB1904

Deleted_User said:

I have a feeling I already know the answer but though I'd ask anyway, my parents were driving on a motorway after coming over to see me, on the way home my mother says a stone was flicked up into the car from the road by a wagon in front. Unfortunately within about 5 mins my dads warning lights came on, anyway he's taken his Lexus back to the dealership and he's just being quoted over £500 for a new radiator, a pebble has punctured a hole in the radiator.

Does he have any come back? He has a warranty with Lexus which I read but the only thing I could find was excluded parts there was a line about protected parts mechanical and electrical excluded from it due to external impact, do you think its something he could get repaired under the warranty or insurance or even against the local council?

It's not a warranty issue as the radiator has suffered damage, technically it's an accident so an insurance matter. No claim against the local council as they're not negligent.

TadleyBaggie

DB1904 said:

No claim against the local council as they're not negligent.

Doubly so, as no council is responsible any motorway.

Sandtree

Sue the stone

His Motor insurance will cover it but the excess is likely to be at least half of that and the premium increases will mean the net result is he's paid more than just paying for the repair.

DB1904

TadleyBaggie said:

DB1904 said:

No claim against the local council as they're not negligent.

Doubly so, as no council is responsible any motorway.

Birmingham City Council maintain the A38M.

[Deleted User]

MattMattMattUK said:

Deleted_User said:

I have a feeling I already know the answer but though I'd ask anyway, my parents were driving on a motorway after coming over to see me, on the way home my mother says a stone was flicked up into the car from the road by a wagon in front. Unfortunately within about 5 mins my dads warning lights came on, anyway he's taken his Lexus back to the dealership and he's just being quoted over £500 for a new radiator, a pebble has punctured a hole in the radiator.

Does he have any come back? He has a warranty with Lexus which I read but the only thing I could find was excluded parts there was a line about protected parts mechanical and electrical excluded from it due to external impact, do you think its something he could get repaired under the warranty or insurance or even against the local council?

 However I would be somewhat curious about how a stone managed to impact the radiator with enough speed to cause any damage as the radiator is well protected by the grill of the car. 

I ride a road bike with tyre pressure around 100psi, if you catch gravel just right (squeezed under a wheel) it fires off like a rocket and makes some serious noise if it hits something like a road sign, I can imagine a huge lorry ending up doing something this by sheer unfortunate fluke

[Deleted User]

Thanks all, yeah its being confirmed by the Lexus dealership they found a stone sized hole in the radiator, my parents said there was a dumper type truck in front when the stone hit the car. Bloody £500 for a radiator through no fault of their own just sounds unfair.

T.T.D

Deleted_User said:

Thanks all, yeah its being confirmed by the Lexus dealership they found a stone sized hole in the radiator, my parents said there was a dumper type truck in front when the stone hit the car. Bloody £500 for a radiator through no fault of their own just sounds unfair.

It’s part of owning a vehicle, you have to mindful of the brand you pick sue to costs of parts and labour and you have to accept that things such like this, annoying as it seems, just happens and no one in particular is to blame. 

Aretnap

Deleted_User said:

Bloody £500 for a radiator through no fault of their own just sounds unfair.

It might not be their fault but ultimately it's not anyone else's fault either. The council/highways agency can't realistically be expected to keep the road free of every small stone, and the driver in front can't realistically be expected to avoid hitting every small stone. They'd be in the same position if their car was damaged by wild animals, or hit by a falling branch in a storm etc. Some things in life are just bad luck, and you can't really expect someone else to pay for every piece of bad luck that you have. If it's serious damage your insurance will protect you, if it's minor damage you just have to accept it as part of the joy of owning a car.

£500 is in that grey zone where it might just be worth claiming on their insurance if their premiums and excess are low and their NCD is protected. So it might be worth working outworking out whether it's economic - but any saving is likely to be small, and they would risk a second claim in a few years putting up their premium significantly, so the benefits of claiming are going to be marginal at best.

KimJongUn88

This is why some car owners fit fine gauge chicken wire behind their bumpers to protect the radiator without restricting airflow.